Display size on Samsung Galaxy Note III could reach 6.3 inches

Rumors indicate the would-be phablet hybrid is slated for a 2013 launch.

Rumors circulating around the Web point to a 2013 release for the Samsung Galaxy Note III, which will purportedly feature a 6.3-inch OLED display according to The Korea Times. The news comes after the company announced it will reduce its investment in the LCD TV business, instead focusing on tablets as the demand increases.

An anonymous official from Samsung told The Korea Times that the television market in the United States “remains sluggish,” so the company will shift its efforts to push the sales of its Galaxy line of devices. This includes the Galaxy Note III and the Galaxy SIV, which is rumored to be introduced at February’s Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Smartphone displays have gotten bigger over the years, with some of the latest handsets as big as 4.7 and 5 inches (like LG’s Optimus G and HTC's Droid DNA). Samsung’s Galaxy Note II currently measures in at 5.5 inches. If the rumors are true, that means the company will be tacking on nearly an extra inch for the third-generation tablet-handset. At that size, the Note III would almost be as big as an Asus Nexus 7. It makes us wonder if it can truly be dubbed a “phablet” at that point.

Florence Ion
Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.

I like my tablet but I wouldn't want to hold it up to my ear. My phone is bad enough, size-wise.

If phones continue to inflate in size, it might be time to invest in wireless headset manufacturers.

What if the phone had a simple ear piece that slid out of it? When you clipped it out it would answer and you'd put that piece of to your ear and leave your phone in your pocket. The ear piece would have a nice way to hold it with your hand, and a way to clip it to your ear.

I like my tablet but I wouldn't want to hold it up to my ear. My phone is bad enough, size-wise.

If phones continue to inflate in size, it might be time to invest in wireless headset manufacturers.

What if the phone had a simple ear piece that slid out of it? When you clipped it out it would answer and you'd put that piece of to your ear and leave your phone in your pocket. The ear piece would have a nice way to hold it with your hand, and a way to clip it to your ear.

I've been wanting to see something like that for years.

What if a phone came with a very simple bluetooth or radio earpiece and mic that slid out, had a nice finger tip indentation to slide it out with or help keep it pressed into an ear with and that would connect to the phone guaranteed 100% of the time within milliseconds and had a battery good for say an hour and recharged by the phone's battery?

I wear normal boy (not skinny) jeans and already my stupid 4.7" phone in my front pocket feels like it's going to bend in half when I sit down. The note is retardedly big (real adjective) already, why make it even worse?

It's bad enough HTC did the dumb thing to try to win an imaginary specs war (1080p) and released the DNA with a 5" screen.

I though the industry was done with its pissing match, but I guess not. Hopefully in 2013 some manufacturer realizes there's still a market for people who like good, flagship-quality phones at reasonable sizes (4.3 is perfect).

If the iPad already has a cell radio for 3G or 4G or whatever, then I wonder why Apple left the calling app out of the iPad??? It has bluetooth after all, for headset, and everything else is basically identical. Could it be that even though the iPad is essentially just a jumbo iPhone, they insist that you must still buy one of each? Why would they do that, I wonder ?$?$?$

For me, I'd consider the practical limit of a phone at about 6", but I know for a lot of people that would be considerably smaller (I have large hands and head - I realize I'm a bit of a statistical outlier for people when cell phone size is concerned). At 6.3", I'd have to take a long, hard look at it in a store before I'd commit to such a purchase (similar to what I did with the Galaxy Note II, for that matter - that turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, and I'm still debating picking one up).

Look, the whole galaxy noteII on its diagonal is already 6 inches or thereabouts (the whole phone not just the screen), they only have to fit a bigger screen into the same size body by minimizing the bezel or frame around the screen.Also im only 5'10 and i dont wear skinny jeans yet the galaxy note actually fit into my front pants pocket and i could sit without it being subject to bending force.As for the ladies they always have big bags with them etc so im sure its going to be a hit too.

One obvious area where it's of less concern (not being sexist) is for women, who don't always keep phones on their person anyway (e.g. handbag etc instead).

I find the only issue with my S3 is that when I have earphones plugged in, the cable gets messed up and ends up with the earphones not working anymore because the wires come loose because of pressure on the cable join when sitting.

I'm not sure a massive screen would be for everyone, but then Samsung isn't Apple, so they have multiple products for different people with different desires.

I love the Note 2. 6.3", though, that's big. That being said, it's only about 3/8ths of an inch wider than the current screen. They could keep the width of the phone about the same if they eliminate the bezel, though there's no denying that it would have to get longer. The real question, though, is how big the Note 4 will be?

If the iPad already has a cell radio for 3G or 4G or whatever, then I wonder why Apple left the calling app out of the iPad??? It has bluetooth after all, for headset, and everything else is basically identical. Could it be that even though the iPad is essentially just a jumbo iPhone, they insist that you must still buy one of each? Why would they do that, I wonder ?$?$?$

You do realize that the iPad has a dramatically cheaper data plan than the iPhone, right?

One is $10 a month, the other requires a minimum of $70 due to a mandatory voice plan.

IMHO 4.7"-5" is about the max size of a phone that will fit comfortably in your pants.

For me that's pushing it. I don't understand this whole push to make phones bigger and bigger. I want something I won't even notice in my pocket. Why does nobody (except Apple) make a high end phone that's small? Do people really think a 5" phone is better than a 4.9" phone? It's like the MHz wars all over again. I had hopes for the S3 mini, but it turns out it's not really comparable with a regular S3.